Awaken

The fact that the title of this book is Awaken is amusing to me because, despite a few instances, the best way to describe this book is Sleepy.
The story has potential to be a great series but this first instalment is just not that great.

The story takes place in the year 2060 and follows the life of a eighteen year old girl named Madeline. In this future, computers have taken over our lives; people go to school, hang out with friends and go on dates via Internet connection. After retaliating once against this type of living and getting burned for it, Maddie has stayed within the confines of computer life. Then she meets Justin, a boy who refuses to live his life through a computer screen and her life is turned upside down.

Maddie falls head over heels for this guy and 90% of the story is about how she can't stop thinking about /looking at his lips and his perfectly messy hair... Yet there's an "analog revolution" happening around them and she doesn't really seem to care.
I realize the author probably did this because she intends on making a sequel and the plan is to develop the revolution more in the next book but it just ended up making me dislike Maddie and Justin's relationship and hope that it doesn't work out.

Overall, this is an okay book. The writing is good and has promise for a good sequel but I think I'll hold off on the recommendation until I've read book two because really, nothing has happened yet.

The Death Cure

Oh. My. GOD! This book is amazing. No, this entire trilogy is amazing.

The Death Cure by James Dashner picks up a few weeks after the end of the second book, The Scorch Trials and it is just one adventure after another. Super fast paced with zero down time, as I read this I couldn't help but feel like I was running along side Thomas, Minho and Newt the entire time.

Thomas and the boys escape the clutches of WICKED with the help of Brenda and Jorge only to find themselves thrown full fledged into the real world of Cranks. Through the entire book Thomas is having a hard time figuring out who he can trust. Is WICKED actually good? Should he go back and help them discover a cure to the Flare? Who should he believe? Brenda or Teresa?!

What I absolutely loved was the inability to guess the ending of this book. Since the entire series had so many plot twists, I couldn't even guess what was going to happen next. I don't want to give too much away because you just have to read this book for yourself!

If you like action, adventure, suspense, thrills and..bromance? (lol) then you will LOVE this entire trilogy.

GO READ IT!

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares

Yes. It's October. And yes, this is a Christmas book. But I loved it anyway.

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan is a cute story about two seemingly opposite teenagers conversing solely through a red Moleskin notebook. Obviously, this causes them to make a lot of assumptions about the other one and it's funny to see how wrong, and yet how right the assumptions are.

Dash, described as Snarly, seems so mature and knowledgeable but has so much more to learn still.

Lily, descried as Shrilly, is so use to maintaining her childish ways that even she's taken aback by how grown-up she can be when she needs to.

When they finally do meet, it's funny how awkward they are. I just love it!

This book is full of adventure, hilarity and romance. It's a great book to read a few weeks before Christmas, when your snuggled up near a fire place and looking for something magical and inspiring!

I don't know if this book will be turned into a movie, like Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist but if it does, I'll definitely go see it.

Read this book, LOVE this book! NOW!

Where All Things Will Grow

The fourth book in the Old Wounds series by N.K. Smith is amazing. Brilliant ending to a brilliant story.

Sophie and Elliot come to realize that they love each other so much but they've been using each other as emotional crutches and that's not healthy for either of them. After a scary altercation between the two of them, they break up and go their own way for summer break.

Elliot checks himself into an in-patient program and with the help of Dr. Emmanuel he comes to terms with his feelings for his mother, father and brother. In that time Sophie learns a lot about herself too and opens up to her dad more.

But then Sophie falls into a coma and when she wakes shes not the same. She and Elliot have yet another obstacle to tackle, but they overcome it together.

I absolutely loved this series and the ending of this book was perfect, any other ending and I would have hated it. So much love and hatred, fear and strength wrapped up in 15 chapters is unbelievable. I definitely recommend this book, and series, to anyone with a heart.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan was not the greatest book I've ever read but it wasn't the worst either.
The story follows the life of a young woman named Mary. Mary lives in a small, highly religious village within a forest. Sounds simple enough except that the village is gated off from the forest. Why? Because the forest is invested with zombie-like "Unconsecrated".... oh my.

Mary grew up with her mother telling her stories about what the world was like before the Unconsecrated took over and forced people to stay in the village. Stories about buildings that touched the sky and water that went on for miles and were unbelievably deep. Mary always thought of these wonders but it was not until she was betrothed to a man she didn't like and the man she did like was betrothed to someone else that she started to question her continued existence in the village. (hmm...)

The book is filled with romance, mystery, suspense, action, murder and so much more but yet it feels like it was lacking something, I don't know what... maybe it was how INFURIATING Mary is.

There are so many instances in this book where I found myself mentally screaming at Mary to stop fussing over whether Travis loves her and pay attention to what's going on! Also, even though the author tries to make the ending suspenseful (Will she live? Will she end up with Harry or Travis?!) I knew how it was going to end at about the middle of the book.

That said, it's still an interesting story that's worth the read, I guess. If you like the Peeta-Katniss-Gale esque kind of romance and you're into zombie and post-apocalyptic stories - then this is for you!